Learn More About Consent CountsThe National Coalition for Sexual Freedom is a national organization committed to creating a political, legal, and social environment in the United States that advances equal rights of consenting adults who practice forms of alternative sexual expression. NCSF is primarily focused on the rights of consenting adults in the SM-leather-fetish, swing, and polyamory communities, who often face discrimination because of their sexual expression.https://ncsfreedom.org
Tue, 31 Mar 2015 22:26:32 +0000en-gbNext Chapter for Consent Countshttps://ncsfreedom.org/who-we-are/about-ncsf/current-ncsf-board-and-staff/item/690-next-chapter-for-consent-counts.html
https://ncsfreedom.org/who-we-are/about-ncsf/current-ncsf-board-and-staff/item/690-next-chapter-for-consent-counts.htmlNCSF Launches the Next Chapter for Consent Counts February 27, 2012 The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) announces two new publications as part of its nationwide campaign, Consent Counts. The Consent Counts Project was launched by the BDSM-leather-fetish communities in 2006 to decriminalize consensual BDSM in U.S. law by ensuring that consent will be recognized as a defense to criminal charges brought under assault laws and other statutes. "For the past 18 months, NCSF's Consent Counts Project has almost exclusively focused on the legal and policy issues surrounding decriminalization of BDSM activities," says Leigha Fleming, NCSF Chairperson. "We have learned that the Consent Counts project also needs to do more to work within our own communities to better understand and articulate what consent is and to better educate about the importance of prior informed and ongoing consent." NCSF is proud to announce the publication of two new guides "The Aftermath: A guide for victims of sexual assault and/or intimate partner violence in the BDSM community," by Natalie Quintero, and "When the Levee Breaks: A guide to dealing with and avoiding arrest and prosecution in BDSM scenes." "The Aftermath" is a compilation of advice that is regularly provided to victims…

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]]>Learn More About Consent CountsMon, 27 Feb 2012 06:40:59 +0000CONSENT and BDSM: The State of the Lawhttps://ncsfreedom.org/who-we-are/about-ncsf/current-ncsf-board-and-staff/item/580-consent-and-bdsm-the-state-of-the-law.html
https://ncsfreedom.org/who-we-are/about-ncsf/current-ncsf-board-and-staff/item/580-consent-and-bdsm-the-state-of-the-law.htmlBDSM activity, even where clearly consensual, can be and frequently is prosecuted under state criminal laws dealing with assault, aggravated assault, sexual assault or sexual abuse. Such criminal prosecution can arise in various circumstances, including: The BDSM “scene” turns out to be more intense or painful or harmful than the submissive participant anticipated, and she or he goes to the police. Injury is caused that is sufficiently serious or sufficiently visible that it is brought to the attention of the police by an observer, by hospital personnel or by a friend or relative of the submissive participant. The police raid a BDSM event and observe conduct that they interpret as unlawful. A BDSM relationship ends, leaving the submissive partner with bad feelings, and he or she complains to the police about assault or abuse. Someone with a grudge against a participant in the BDSM scene or relationship makes a complaint to the police. Or pictures, videos, emails, film or sound recordings of BDSM conduct somehow come into the hands of the police. The Critical Issue: Consent The nature of the criminal offense here is that one person causes physical harm—injury and/or intense pain—to another person. It is important to understand…

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]]>Learn More About Consent CountsFri, 18 Mar 2011 17:06:52 +0000Best BDSM Practiceshttps://ncsfreedom.org/who-we-are/about-ncsf/current-ncsf-board-and-staff/item/579-best-practices.html
https://ncsfreedom.org/who-we-are/about-ncsf/current-ncsf-board-and-staff/item/579-best-practices.htmlThe National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) believes that the most important issue facing the BDSM/Leather/Fetish communities today is the consistent practice of courts and law enforcement officials to prosecute BDSM as criminal assault, with no defense of consent permitted. We know that BDSM is not assault, but rather is pleasurable, loving adult erotic activity, as long as it is mutually consensual.NCSF is leading a major national campaign – Consent Counts – to change the laws and police practices that our communities now endure, and to establish that consent is available as a defense in criminal BDSM prosecutions. Best Practices in the BDSM/Leather/Fetish Communities The practice of BDSM (Bondage, Discipline, SM) consists of intimate mutually pleasurable erotic activity within the scope of informed consent. The following “best practices” have been developed by our communities to ensure that the standard of “safe, sane and consensual” is met by all BDSM participants: Guiding Principles “SAFE” All participants are knowledgeable about the techniques and safety concerns involved in what they are doing, and all act in accordance with that knowledge. “SANE” Knowing the difference between fantasy and reality, and acting in accordance with that knowledge. “CONSENSUAL” All participants understand the nature of the…

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]]>Learn More About Consent CountsFri, 18 Mar 2011 16:50:06 +0000Consent Counts Program Descriptionhttps://ncsfreedom.org/who-we-are/about-ncsf/current-ncsf-board-and-staff/item/547-serving-you-moving-ahead.html
https://ncsfreedom.org/who-we-are/about-ncsf/current-ncsf-board-and-staff/item/547-serving-you-moving-ahead.html The Consent Counts project involves the BDSM communities in a nationwide education and activism program coordinated and led by the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom. This multifaceted campaign includes a comprehensive is analysis of current laws and court decisions, the development of legal arguments for changing the laws, participating in court cases, and ultimately, through lobbying, education and grass-roots activism, changing state laws and the way the public and the courts view BDSM. An important element of the project also includes an Educational Outreach Program (EOP) to educate our own communities of the current state of the law, of the effort NCSF is undertaking and to involve them in our strategic planning process and development of “best practices” by which we can protect ourselves and facilitate change. Click here to go to the Consent Counts Program Page

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]]>Learn More About Consent CountsMon, 27 Feb 2012 16:33:00 +0000Consent Counts—Or Does It?https://ncsfreedom.org/who-we-are/about-ncsf/current-ncsf-board-and-staff/item/546-consent-counts—or-does-it?.html
https://ncsfreedom.org/who-we-are/about-ncsf/current-ncsf-board-and-staff/item/546-consent-counts—or-does-it?.htmlby Judy Guerin If you practice BDSM in fully consensual ways, you may still be criminally prosecuted for assault under many laws throughout the U.S. The BDSM-Leather-Fetish communities have focused heavily for years on defining “safe, sane and consensual BDSM practices” for practitioners as well as to help the broader public better understand what it is that we do. It was, after all, only in 1994 that the DSM criteria of the American Psychiatric Association changed their categorization of sadomasochism, paving the path for us to do more effective social, legal and political change. Until 1994, BDSM was defined automatically as a mental illness. Prior to 1994, it was difficult to organize effectively to protect and advance our rights as BDSM practitioners. This categorization and long-term societal view of BDSM as a mental illness resulted in severe consequences for many practitioners over the years—loss of child custody and jobs as well as criminal prosecutions. Fortunately for all of us, NCSF was formed in 1997 to work on these issues and to protect and advance our rights. Although things have certainly improved for us over the years, we still have significant legal, political and societal issues facing us. The majority of…

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]]>Learn More About Consent CountsSun, 06 Mar 2011 16:14:47 +0000BDSM vs Abusehttps://ncsfreedom.org/who-we-are/about-ncsf/current-ncsf-board-and-staff/item/467-sm-vs-abuse.html
https://ncsfreedom.org/who-we-are/about-ncsf/current-ncsf-board-and-staff/item/467-sm-vs-abuse.htmlThe following Principles and Guidelines are intended to help law enforcement and social services professionals understand the difference between abusive relationships vs. consensual sadomasochism (BDSM). BDSM includes a broad and complex group of behaviors between consenting adults involving the consensual exchange of power, and the giving and receiving of intense erotic sensation and/or mental discipline. BDSM includes: "intimate activities within the scope of informed consent that is freely given." Abuse is: "Physical, sexual or emotional acts inflicted on a person without their informed and freely given consent." Principles The BDSM-Leather-Fetish communities recognize the phrase "Safe, Sane, Consensual" as the best brief summary of principles guiding BDSM practices: Safe is being knowledgeable about the techniques and safety concerns involved in what you are doing, and acting in accordance with that knowledge. Sane is knowing the difference between fantasy and reality, and acting in accordance with that knowledge. Consensual is respecting the limits imposed by each participant at all times. One of the recognized ways to maintain limits is through a "safeword" which ensures that each participant can end his/her participation with a word or gesture. Guidelines Informed consent must be judged by balancing the following criteria for each encounter at the time the acts occurred:…